Sunday, February 20, 2011

It's the end of February, and some of the snow is finally melting away here in Boston. Which means it's time to give you guys an update on this year's group of jack-o-lanterns. Here's the earlier post that documents their creation (Pumpkin Carvin' Party 2010).

And for those unfamiliar with my tradition of aging pumpkins, here's a little context from years past (1, 2).

I made a better effort this year in documenting their deterioration.

Above, we have pumpkins A,B, and C (left to right). These photos were taken as soon as they were placed outside, though A got a head start by a week (B and C were carved on Halloween). So, we're talking late October.

Now, I'm going to walk you through highlights of each specimen (photos taken from a span between November and December 2010).

We got dumped on with snow for the greater part of January, so I neglected to document them as much as I would've liked to. As the cold sets in, they basically harden and shrivel in size. Snow and water (freezing, unfreezing) only help to suck the color out of them. Though I have no photographs to show for, I did notice at one point that I lost Pumpkin B. I suspect it blew off in one of the many snow storms, and got buried.

Fast forward to today: February 20, 2011.

I walk out to the porch to find neither of the remaining pumpkins.(SHOCK! HORROR!). Except for this unidentified specimen:

(which I believe is Berney and Liz's pumpkin, tucked under a table—it rotted to nothing soon after Halloween).

It occurred to me immediately that they probably blew off in the powerful windstorm we had over Friday and Saturday. So, I looked over the edge...

...and found what appeared to be the remains of Pumpkin C in the storm drain.

Which, upon closer inspection, I can be almost certain of.

I peered further over the edge and noticed another pumpkin, 3 floors down, nestled on a shrub. What I saw when I went downstairs surprised even me:

I can't make this stuff up. This is where it landed. I KID YOU NOT. Right next to my landlord's lawn ornament. Next to two frightened plaster children. This is exactly how I found it.

I reached out to touch it, and it AWOKE.

(shudder!)

Pumpkin A. I found its stem nearby in the snow...

...and reunited them. The evil forces within him, resurrected.

A horrible specimen.

The pumpkins at this point are as stiff as wood. Light, dry, and easy to handle. Pretty cool, actually. I'm surprised this guy stayed so well preserved. My previous attempts mostly yielded flattened pancakes.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Hey! BIG NEWS: I just sent Heeby Jeeby Comix #2 off to the printer! Turnaround is about a month, so look for a release sometime in March. This harry guy above is a rendition of, well...myself. Each of the four of us drew monster portraits for the inside cover of the book.

SpongeBob Comics are back! Issue #1 was released on February 9th, so head on over to your local comic shop and grab a copy while they're hot! This new series is published by Stephen Hillenburg's United Plankton Pictures, distributed through Matt Groening's Bongo Comics Group, and is edited by none other than Chris Duffy (former Senior Comics Editor of Nickelodeon Magazine).

The cover design for this issue is by one of the best SpongeBob artists in the business—Sherm Cohen. He has process up on his blog, so check that out.

And I snuck a little something in there as well. Below are my pencils for a one-page comic called "GlowSponge." I handled story, pencils, inks, and this time I was invited to do color as well.

I opted for flat colors, as that's what I normally use.And they let me!

I have to say—flipping through this book makes me feel like a tiny slice of Nick Mag is back. And that's a good feeling. Look for the next issue in April, as these will land every two months. I have a couple more comics that should arrive in print soon.